


december 4th: seasalt

by watergator



Series: december fic advent 2020 [4]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Established Relationship, Future Fic, M/M, Mentions of memory loss, elderly phan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:42:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27879298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watergator/pseuds/watergator
Summary: prompt: retirementdan and phil have lived a good life together
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Series: december fic advent 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035978
Comments: 8
Kudos: 45





	december 4th: seasalt

The sun is heavy in the sky; hung like an oil painting with a sizzling yellow and bright oranges. The sky is a rich blue, the water below is reflected with each gentle lap of the waves and there’s the call of a seagull somewhere in the distance as it glides across the horizon.

Phil tilts his head back - as much as he can now that old age has settled ache and stiffness into each of his bones. The sun rests easy on wrinkled skin. The last remains of his wispy, grey hair is brushed back by the breeze that runs past him warmly. He smiles until he feels an ache in his jaw, and sits back up, giving a soft  _ oof _ as it takes him a moment to steady his weary body.

But there’s a hand on his arm to keep him grounded. He looks over to Dan, sat beside him. They share a smile.   
  
“Shall we go, love?” He asks. Phil nods.   
  
Hunstanton Beach stretches out for miles, water laps at the pebbled beach and there’s the shrill laughter of children being carried through the air. A dog barks somewhere, chasing the water and more seagulls swoop down to pick at the remains of a chip lunch left behind by teenagers, kissing on the brick wall behind them.   
  
It reminds Phil of all the love and joy he’s experienced in his life, together with Dan.   
  
Kids. Grandkids. Dogs. Laughter. Arguments. Tears. Sunshine and storms.   
  
Dan takes his hand, still soft and warm as it always has been and they steadily walk together towards the steps.   
  
It’s a climb, but they make it, huffing and puffing and Phil has to stop to make sure his knees don’t seize up, but Dan is there, waiting for him. Patient as ever.   
  
A boy with his father rides past them on their bikes. A girl is talking loudly in her group of friends, waving her hands around as she animates whatever fantastic story has them all laughing. A child has his nose in a cone of ice cream and his mother is already digging into her purse for wet wipes with a sigh.   
  
“It’s a beautiful day,” Dan comments and Phil agrees with a small, satisfied hum. Dan looks at him, the lines around his eyes are a lot deeper and prominent than they used to be, but they’re signs of laughter - a happy life lived.   
  
“It’s a beautiful day,” Dan repeats because that’s how it goes sometimes. With Dan saying the same things over again and Phil’s bad knees.    
  
He squeezes his hand, feeling the cool metal on his finger against his skin and hums.   
  
“It is,” he agrees. “Isn’t it?”   
  
Their bungalow is easy for Phil to get around. A small kitchen they don’t use anymore. A living room with just one couch. Two bedrooms because their grandchildren love sleepovers by the seaside. They settle on the couch together, slippers snug on their feet and cushions propped up for any achey, sore backs.   
  
The news rolls around and around until they grow bored of it, because that’s what retirement was, really. Boredom.

But Phil enjoyed boredom. Because he gets to be bored with Dan. And when he was with Dan, he wasn’t really bored at all, he figured.   
  
“ShallI I make tea?” Dan asks, looking round at him. His honey coloured eyes haven’t really changed that much.

Phil pats his leg and shakes his head as he makes the slow, steady attempt of standing.   
  
“No worries, I’ll get it.”   
  
He always does, now that Dan can be forgetful. He once was offered a tea with two spoons of salt instead of sugar. 

So he makes the same two drinks he’s been making since forever and shuffles back into the living room where the tv is now turned off, and all that can be heard is the sound of the distant ocean and the call of the seagulls.   
  
They drink their drinks together in a relaxed silence.   
  
And soon enough the sun begins to dip under the sky and the sea, and the blue sky turns dark and the ache between his joints feels heavier and harsher. Dan kisses him, rubs his thumb on his hand to soften his fingers as they grow stiff, and they hold onto each other as they undress and clamber into their pyjamas.   
  
They crawl slowly into bed together, the sound of slow breaths fill the room and the curl towards each other, barely making out one another in the dim light.   
  
Phil finds Dan’s hand with his, wrinkled yet warm. Always so warm. He gives it a squeeze and Dan squeezes back.

He smiles, “Shall we go, love?”   
  
Dan smiles back. “Wherever you want to, yes.”   


**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on tumblr !! @watergator


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